Monday, November 30, 2009

When I took Colt for his 15 month check up the doctor looked at his forehead (which he has a big one because he is a Lemcool after all) and she said "don't worry - this is normal" WTF! HA! Seriously - I didn't ask if his forehead was abnormal but she felt the need to notice it and point it out and then tell me it was fine. She is a trip!

I am thankful that this blog is still here even though I have all but abandoned it :( I have been so busy lately that I haven't thought about the dear ole blog much. But I'mmmmmmmmmmm back!

So how is everyone here you ask?

Jamie is doing great - loves MOST parts of his new job. He worked all season with the local football team (his DREAM!) and they actually won a few games which was a change from the past few years. Whether Jamie had an impact or not...we will never know!

I am busy working, working, working. I have a few challenging students in my room and some days I struggle to stay sane. Most of my class is wonderful though - I am already realizing how much I am going to miss them next year :( They are learning and growing so much and it's awesome to introduce them to a whole new world of reading.

Hunter is doing EXCELLENT! He is doing math at a beginning 1st grade level and his reading is about 3rd semester Kindergarten --- I am amazed at how well he is doing. He is starting to sound things out and write phonetically and the transformation is amazing to watch. He is also growing like a weed!!! We bought him new shoes in August for school and 1 month later we had to buy him new shoes because he OUTGREW them in 30 days. ugh! It has been amusing though to watch him run like a newborn giraffe! lol He is finally getting used to those long legs.

Dane is Dane. I am hoping his strong-willed sense of self will help him later in life because it sure isn't helping him now! He sometimes lives in his own world where he makes the rules and when we try to interfere WATCH OUT! I am sure it is a phase and HOPEFULLY he will be out of it soon - all kids have to test the waters and he is no exception to the rule. When he isn't being so bull-headed he is a very funny kid; very goofy sense of humor. He is also doing well in pre-school - shockingly they say he is shy and reserved there - HA!

Colt is a pistol. He thinks he is one of the big kids and wants to do everything they do. He still doesn't talk much but he gets his point across with pointing, grunting, stomping, etc... He has a smile TO DIE FOR and a giggle that you can't help but smile at. He loves his brothers and is even hugging Hunter as I type this. (until Hunter bucked him off and made him cry! brat!) He has to have surgery in 9 days and my nerves are starting to get the best of me about it. But I know that everything will be fine.

I still truly believe that moving to Kentucky was meant to be. I love our community, I love how close I am to my parents now (see them and interact more) and I love my job more than I thought possible. Jamie sometimes gets frustrated by how much I have to work BUTTTTT I have to remind him that I will have 3 months off in the summer, which somehow doesn't make him feel better since he will be working!!! lol I still get anxiety when I think about the house in Michigan as it has yet to be sold, but eh - it's just a house. I do ok with being away from friends and family until they come to visit -- then it makes me realize that I miss them more than I really admit. Don't get me wrong - I LOVE when they visit but it just makes me realize how much I miss them. The great thing about visits is that we spend true quality time together whereas we didn't always take the time to do that when we lived near each other.

So that is what is new with us. I promise to try to do better with my postings :) *muah*

Sunday, August 30, 2009

...but working full time is overwhelming to say the least. I LOVE my new job, but with that and Hunter's homework, Dane's homework, soccer, meetings, etc... I don't have time for much else!

Dane did get into the preschool at the local elementary so he goes Mon-Fri all day - it's been an adjustment for him but he has done GREAT. He is adapting awesome! Hunter is loving school too. Baby Colt is loving getting all of grandma's attention :)

Not much else has changed. Did I tell you how much I LOVE my new job. Seriously. I didn't realize how much I TOTALLY missed teaching until I stepped back into that classroom! :) I have a great group of kids and they are busy - just think, 16 5-yr old boys and 7 5-yr old girls in one small room. Yep, busy. I can't believe we are already almost 1/2 way thru the first marking period already! CRAZY!

Thursday, July 30, 2009

We have been in Kentucky for one month and it's amazing how much our lives have changed already - for the better. I just secured a full-time teaching position for the 2009-2010 school year - YIPPEE!! That could have never happened in Michigan, with the way the job market is up there, it was a lost cause! So I will be teaching All-Day Kindergarten which is what I wanted more than anything :) My emotions are very conflicting right now because I feel so ECSTATIC about getting the job but am having ANXIETY because of how much stuff I now need to do because school starts next Thursday! OH MY! I have 7 days to get my room together - get my lessons planned - get school clothes for me - get school clothes for the boys - etc - etc! Overwhelming to say the least!

Jamie is adapting well to his new job - he seems to like it. He is doing a lot of homecare right now though and down here that equates to HOURS of driving a day - so that kind of stinks.He just bought himself a new Sirius satellite radio to make the driving more bearable :)

Hunter attended Kindercamp this week (Mon-Wed) and he seemed to enjoy it. He officially starts school next Friday. The kindergarten down here is all-day and I am thankful for that because he could use the extra learning time :) Where Dane will be going to preschool is still undecided. He may be going at the same school Hunter is at BUT only if he qualifies for speech. He already had a preliminary assessment and they think he needs the extra help because he is "backing all of his sounds" according to the speech teacher. If he does qualify he will also be in an all day program. If he doesn't qualify - then I will enroll him in a local, private preschool for 2 or 3 days a week :) That leads me to Baby Colt - I don't know what he is going to do without them two here all day! Oh wait, yes I do - RUN GRANDMA RAGGED! :) I am so blessed that my mom is able to watch Colt while we both work, it will be such a great experience for Colt and Grandma I think. Colt is getting big and bossy! He has a tribal scream that sends you running up the walls when he wants something! He also FINALLY cut 3 more teeth - that brings his total to 7. Well, actually he is "cutting" those teeth right now so we are having lots of drool and fussiness at night but we will make it thru. He can easily say "moooo" "quack quack" "da da" "ba ba" annnnnnnnnnnnnnd, if he is feeling generous, "mama" but he makes me work for that one :) I have a sneaking suspicion that his next word will be Grandma :)

Overall, the fact that we have been here for 1 month is strange because in some ways it feels like we have been here a LOT longer and other ways like we just arrived. There have been moments of "did we do the right thing" but when I think back to what Michigan had to offer us I quickly come to the realization that this is definitely the best choice for us and our boys. The hardest part so far has been to be away from family, but I did make a weekend trip a few weeks ago and we will be going back to Michigan in 3 weeks for my family reunion. I will just have to take lots of road trips when I start to feel lost without them :)

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Have you ever noticed that ALL TV judges have a bailiff of a different race? Black judges have white bailiffs and white judges have black bailiffs. A lot of them also have the opposite sex too? I wonder why they do that?

Had a phone interview this morning at 7:30 for a teaching job, went pretty well (I think!) It is always hard to tell over the phone. She said I should hear something by early next week. Hunter is in the shower getting ready to go to Kindercamp - Day 2. Dane is laying in bed whining, "I am NOT going to get up!" so this should be fun. The baby is running around playing. HE woke up RIGHT before my phone interview started ~ YIKES ~ but fortunately he was really, really good during the interview.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Seriously. I feel like sh*t. I can't breathe, my head is pounding, I can't decide if I want to puke or eat.... this sucks. AND to top it off, we had all the boys in bed by 9 BUUUUUUT by 10, Hunter was up screaming in one of his night terrors for ohhhhh, 20 minutes. Then I finally get him to sleep and Dane wakes up screaming which wakes up Colt. Seriously? So I take the baby to Jamie in our room, get Dane a bottle of water, just get settled back into my chair with my icepack and Dane starts screaming again b/c he can't get the lid back on the water. Ugh.

So now - Hunter is sleeping in my recliner, Dane is sleeping on the couch and Colt is in our bed. Not one kid where they should be, but I guess i should be happy they are sleeping, eh?